Almond Dark Chocolate Brittle

Toffee + chocolate + almonds = amazing. Everyone knows that.

But use dark chocolate, and you get to eliminate a bit of the guilt. (Isn’t that a rule? The antioxidant effects of the dark chocolate outweigh the artery-clogging effects of the butter? I think I read that somewhere, maybe.)

This brittle is one of my favorite things in life. Made in a 9 x 13″ pan, it delivers thick and toffeelicious hunks of brittle- not the lean little skinny little brittle bits you end up with when you use a large baking sheet. Technically you could break the bits up into smaller pieces, since they’re thick, but don’t bother. Go thick and go big. Like I said- the dark chocolate takes care of the guilt.

Adapted from my Choco Cracker-Toffee Brittle recipe…

30 Saltine/ Premium Plus crackers

1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 3/4 cups /9 oz. dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup almonds, slivered & chopped; lightly toasted
1. Preheat oven to 400° and line a 9 x 13 x 18″ baking pan with foil, and place crackers right side up in a single layer.
2. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat and add brown sugar, stirring to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil for 3 minutes, without stirring. Pour thick & bubbly mixture over crackers and bake for 7 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Let stand for 3 – 5 minutes, then smooth out melted chocolate with a knife or offset spatula. Sprinkle with almonds and press gently into chocolate so they adhere to chocolate layer.
4. Allow to cool in fridge, and break apart into irregular shapes (or try to cut into even squares, but good luck with that).
5. Store in an airtight container for a day or two or freeze for later. (Again, good luck with that.)
Tips:
- Chocolate choices abound! Milk chocolate and almond are a classic combo, but then again, semi-sweet and bittersweet aren’t exactly repulsive. If you are using dark chocolate, it will likely be from a bar (since dark chocolate chips are hard to find), so just chop into very small bits so they melt easier over the hot cracker/toffee base.
- Toasting your almonds: pop onto a baking sheet in a single layer while the oven is preheating for about 10 minutes. When you can smell them, it’s about time; peek at them a couple of times just to make sure they aren’t blackening. Like this.
- Not an almond fan? Substitute your favorite nut. When using almonds, just make sure to use the finely slivered ones (or even the blanched sliced ones)… if you take whole almonds and chop them up, they might be a bit too chunky to stick to the chocolate. I guess you could throw them in over the toffee base with the chocolate chips… they could meld together. Hm. I might do next time.
- What’s the deal with not stirring the butter & sugar mixture when it boils? Hmm. It’s complicated kitchen science that I don’t want to bore you with. Don’t question it. Really.
- Breaking up the cooled brittle: unless you want your fingerprints to show on the surface of the chocolate (not an appealing look), use a piece of wax paper between your hands and the brittle. Make sure the brittle is very chilly when you go to break it up… or else you’ll end up with soft, jagged edges (rather than the crisp snappy brittle edges).
- More almond & chocolate desserts? Why not try the Milk Chocolate & Toasted Almond Toffee, or the Healthy Almond Chocolate Bars? Yummy.
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March 27th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Chocolate, Nuts